Payments made to private sector companies

The request was partially successful.

Dear Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council,

On 24/02/2016 the Hinckley Times reported that HBBC has approved over £1m in payments to private sector companies to "encourage" them to take the vacant units in The Crescent.
What information do you have that:
1) Confirms the total £ that has been made available?
2) Shows how much has been given to whom to date?
3) Demonstrates that the principle has passed the “value for money” test?
4) Shows where this money has come from?
5) Shows who precisely decided that this use of public funds has a higher priority than partially offsetting the cuts to health & welfare?

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

Jo McLaren, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

Dear J Newman
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000 request HR/FOI 3331

I acknowledge your request for information received on 26 February 2016.

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Regards

Mrs H Rishworth
Information Governance Officer

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Helen Rishworth, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear J Newman,

 

Please find attached a response to your FOI 3331.

 

Kind regards

 

Helen Rishworth (AMBCS)

Information Governance Officer,

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council,

Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, LE10 0FR

Telephone: 01455 255745. Secure email:
[1][email address]

 

-------------------------------------------

From: J Newman[[2]SMTP:[email address]]

Sent: 26 February 2016 19:55:06

To: Access2info

Subject: Freedom of Information request - Payments made to private sector
companies Auto forwarded by a Rule

 

     Dear Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council,

    

     On 24/02/2016 the Hinckley Times reported that HBBC has approved

     over £1m in payments to private sector companies to "encourage"

     them to take the vacant units in The Crescent.

     What information do you have that:

     1) Confirms the total £ that has been made available?

     2) Shows how much has been given to whom to date?

     3) Demonstrates that the principle has passed the “value for

     money” test?

     4) Shows where this money has come from?

     5) Shows who precisely decided that this use of public funds has a

     higher priority than partially offsetting the cuts to health &

     welfare?

    

     Yours faithfully,

    

     J Newman

     -------------------------------------------------------------------

    

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Dear Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Payments made to private sector companies'.

Q2: Rephrased – how much of the £1.2m has so far been committed?

Q3: These “incentives” in effect subsidise private sector profitability and are not therefore a legitimate used of public funds unless an extremely good reason can be given, the basis of which would be a “value for money” (VFM) that demonstrates in a way that can be audited the net benefit to the community. Without such an evidence-based justification the only interpretation is that the inducements have been offered so that supporters of the scheme are not seen to lose face. There is a precedent being set here – any company considering moving to the area will now be demanding some form of kickback. The promise of transparency therefore outweighs ANY argument for secrecy. If HBBC has nothing to hide it has nothing to fear.

Q5: I’ll rephrase the question: Who (job title) is authorised to sign-off these payments to private companies and what criteria do they use to justify the expenditure?

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

J Newman left an annotation ()

It is apparent that many local retailers are less than happy about the unfairness of these inducements and rightly so.

Helen Rishworth, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear J Newman

 

Please find attached our response to your rephrased questions under FOI
3331.

 

Kind regards

 

Helen Rishworth (AMBCS)

Information Governance Officer,

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council,

Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, LE10 0FR

Telephone: 01455 255745. Secure email:
[1][email address]

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Dear Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

Again I have to request an internal review as I do not believe you have fulfilled the requirements of FoI legislation:

Response to Q3:
This response does not address the request, which was specifically about value for money – if HBBC is handing out tax payers’ money it has to demonstrate some benefit. The fact that this was anticipated or is “standard practice” is beside the point. If HBBC feels it has no such obligation to taxpayers and does not have the information requested it must say so.
What information/evidence is there to support what you have said – i.e. that the cost was “always anticipated” and is “standard practice”. Specifically, in all the material published from the point the development was conceived onwards, where did HBBC make it clear to the public that £1.2m may have to be offered by way of bribes.
[I am relying on the Cambridge online dictionary definition of “bribe” viz “To try to make someone do something for you by giving them money, presents or something else that they want.”]

Response to Q5:
Please provide a link to HBBC’s Financial Procedure rules to which you have referred.

If the response to this is again incomplete, my only recourse will be to the ICO.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

Helen Rishworth, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear J Newman 

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 request FOI/3331

 

Please find attached a response to your FOI review.

 

Response to Q3: 

This response does not address the request, which was specifically about
value for money – if HBBC is handing out tax payers’ money it has to
demonstrate some benefit.  The fact that this was anticipated or is
“standard practice” is beside the point.  If HBBC feels it has no such
obligation to taxpayers and does not have the information requested it
must say so.

What information/evidence is there to support what you have said – i.e.
that the cost was “always anticipated” and is “standard practice”. 
Specifically, in all the material published from the point the development
was conceived onwards, where did HBBC make it clear to the public that
£1.2m may have to be offered by way of bribes. [I am relying on the
Cambridge online dictionary definition of “bribe” viz “To try to make
someone do something for you by giving them money, presents or something
else that they want.”]

·         Please see attached pdf – Printed minutes 1011 2015 1830 Council
or follow this link -
[1]http://moderngov.hinckley-bosworth.gov.u...

·         Please see attached pdf – Crescent Council Jan 16 or follow this
link -
[2]http://moderngov.hinckley-bosworth.gov.u...

Response to Q5:

Please provide a link to HBBC’s Financial Procedure rules to which you
have referred.

·         Please see link to our Constitution
[3]http://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/down...
. Our Financial Procedure Rules are on page 135.

 

The information that we provide in response to the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 requests are subject to copyright protection. The copyright is
owned by either the council or a third party. Simply because the
information is available under the legislation does not mean the council
or the third party has waived its copyright.

 

As we have now answered all questions and after the attached appeal
process you are still dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information
Commissioner at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Telephone: 01625 545 700

[4]www.informationcommissioner.org.uk

 

Kind regards

 

Helen Rishworth (AMBCS)

Information Governance Officer,

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council,

Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, LE10 0FR

Telephone: 01455 255745. Secure email:
[5][email address]

 

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